I wish that the working hours you see on this picture were true. I have been working from home with my last 3 jobs now. I think that it has been at least 5 years since I drove to an office. For those of you who are having to drive to DC every morning, this must sound appealing but trust me, it is no picnic.

Sure I don't have to shave in the morning, nor do I have to wear a suit and a tie. To get to my office, I have to take a few shorts steps from my bedroom. However, due to proximity and ease of access, the work starts early. For example, as soon as you get up while making coffee, you start checking your Blackberry for urgent messages. It then continues until you go to sleep. After all, the entire house is your office. Why not work while you eat, watch TV and I dare say it, while you are on the potty (Please mute your phone if you are participating in a conference call from there)?

This year I was also presented with a unique challenge. Apparently I had accumulated 40 hours of vacation that was to expire at the end of April. So I had to use them now. We tried to book a last minute getaway to Mexico but the weekly prices were running around $7K for a family of 4. I guess the economic crisis did not make it down to Mexico yet. So we decided to stay home and relax with the kids. Relaxing at home with kids is just a euphemism. Coupled with my addiction to Blackberry and two customer conference calls that "I had to attend" had the opposite effect of relaxation. I am more stressed out than usual. I keep thinking, bitterly, what a vacation this is turning out to be. So my advice to all of you, even if you will travel less than 50 miles, don't stay at home for your vacation, especially if you already are working from home.